Vegetarian Grilling

Dear YOU + ME*,

I'm having some friends over this weekend for an end of summer grill fest. Although my husband and I are decidedly carnivorous, some of our close friends are vegetarians. Our grill staples are hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken, so I'm not really sure what to grill for our non-meat eating friends. Are veggie burgers the way to go? Do people grill tofu? Any menu help would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
L.

Dear L.,

You've come to the right place! Miya and I are both vegetarians and California natives (where it's grilling season all year long), so we've had lots of experience with grilling sans meat. First off, your veggie friends are going to appreciate that you're putting so much thought into what they can eat at your end of summer get together. It's so easy to pull that box of veggie burgers from the freezer, chip off the layer of ice, and call it vegetarian dinner or to assume that a hamburger bun and a piece of watermelon will suffice. While I'm sure your friends would be perfectly happy with both those scenarios since they care first and foremost about your company, they'll be blown away that you put some extra energy into grilling something they can enjoy too.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Heidi Swanson's Favorite Grilled Kabob Recipe
This is one of my all time favorite grilled meals. I often don't even deal with making kabobs. Instead, I grill a variety of veggies and tofu using grill plans so they don't fall through the slats and then pile on the Muhammara, an amazing red pepper and walnut spread. You could easily serve this with grilled flatbread, a cold salad or two, and some kind of grilled meat to make an amazing feast for everyone. Actually, I've served this without any meat to plenty of carnivores and I haven't heard any complaints in between the mmmmms and yums.

Halloumi Cheese
Halloumi is a mildly salty and firm cheese traditionally made with a blend of sheep and goat's milk. It can be found in specialty grocery stores (I usually buy it at Whole Foods and I think I've seen it at Trader Joe's). To prepare, cut into slices of your desired thickness. We usually cut our hunk of cheese into three slabs, which makes them about 1/4 inch thick--much thicker and you lose the contrast in texture between the grilled, crunchy part and the melty middle. Grill each side for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown with grill marks. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon. We often serve Halloumi with the kabobs above.

Grilled Tofu. If your whole menu is basically planned and you just want to add a vegetarian protein, you can definitely grill tofu. The beauty of tofu (and also its downfall) is that it doesn't have a whole lot of flavor on its own; instead it takes on the flavors of its topping or marinade. This recipe suggests grilling tofu and then topping it with pesto. An alternative approach would be to marinate the tofu like this prior to grilling. Either way is just fine--you'll just want to make sure you do one or the other. Tofu without a topping or marinade isn't going to tempt anyone's taste buds. If you're seeking an extra firm and chewy texture, you can press the water out, freeze it overnight, thaw, and then marinate/grill. Your friends will be super impressed. 

Oh, one more grilled option to serve people with diverse dietary preferences is grilled pizza, which we wrote about last month. Letting everyone top their own pizza, means everyone gets their perfect pie. 

These suggestions should be a good start for this weekend's menu or for any future grill sessions with your vegetarian friends. You may also consider asking your friends to bring their favorite vegetarian items for the grill. I'm sure they would be happy to contribute to the meal and it might give you additional ideas for next time. Do tell us how your party goes!

xo,
ME*